Device for recording sales transactions



Nov. 1 5, 1932. J, E JOHNSQN 1,887,555

DEVICE FOR RECORDING SALES TRANSACTIONS Original vFiled Feb. 15, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l NOV. 15, 1932. E, JOHNSON 1,887,555

i DEVICE FOR RECORDING SALES TRANSACTIONS origina; Filed Feb. 15, 1929 2sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 15, 1932 vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE].TOEN E. JOHNSON, or cnrcAGo, ILLINOIS, VAssieuvon To AnDRErox co.,`o1cnicas-o,

ILLINOIS, A. CORIORA'IION4 QF DELAWARE ADEVICE. ron RECQRDING y SALESlTRANSACTIONS Application led February 15,1929, Serial No. 340,066.Renewed Marcih326, 19,82. I

This invention-relates to business transactions Whichrinvolve the makingof records or the like containing specific data relating, for example,to anmdividual involved in the transaction; and aims to provide improvedmeans for expediting and increasing the reliability and accuracy of suchtransactions. l Y.

The inventionmay vbe readily understood by reference to oneexemplification thereof as applied to retail merchandising and recordngof retail sales transactions. Such exemplication of the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hand held imprinting device havingassociated therewith one form of sales book and record for receivingdata involved in sales transactions;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the imprintingmechanism(the sales record having been removed for the .sake of clarity) takenapproximately on the line 22 0f Fig. 4; p p

Fig. 3 is a plan view of theV imprinting mechanism, the manipulating andsupporting handles having been broken away to permit illustration on alargerscale;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the imprinting device, taken alongthe line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 isla-bottom plan view of the holder for holding thecustomer-carried token, taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;v

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of a devic for ejecting a. token fromthe holder, taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 5; y

Fig. 7 is a general` view (details omitted) showing the relation of theparts at the instant of impression upon thesales record; and v Y Fig. 8is a similarview showing the relation lof the parts immediately afterimpression, such position being assumedv automatically and withoutintervention of the operator.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the physicalinstrumentalities employed cooperate to record upon a record (such as asales record) in an invariably legible form, certaindata specific to thecustomer, such as, for example, theV customers name, address, creditrating, etv cetera.v These cooperating instrumentalities vcomprise aprinting plate or token-of` a size and shape, convenient to be carriedby thevcustomer and bearing in legibly embossed printing char- 'f Yacters the customers name, address, et cetera; a sales or other recordupnwhfich the customer-data may be imprintedby the einbossed characterson thetoken ion as many copies asmay be desired; an imprinting medium;and a device for associating the Y s alesrecord and the token andimpressing the latter upon the record sheet vor sheets thereby to recordthe data from the token legibly and accurately. Y.

The present embodiment of theinvention avoids4 direct Contact ofthecustomertoken v with the-ink or other imprinting medium, Vwhereby thetoken may bereturnedto the customer` in'unsoiled condition and thedanger ofsoling the customers hands or gloves may be avoided. I i

The individually-carried tokeni or" imprinting element comprises in thisinstance v7,5 a plate 10-(Fig. 5) of metal suficientl ',ductile andmalleable that 'it may be' embossed (and re-embos'sed if need be tocorrect errors orto makechange's) to provide in relief, clear and sharp`printing characters 11, 'that is, v8.0 characters which will printclearly Vand sharply. The obverse or intaglio side ofthe plate exhibitsthefvcharact'erslin normal'order sothat the data mayy easily be'read.The long sides of the plate orV token-,carry'rein- 85 forcement in theform oflongitudinal Vribs 12 and marginalfinishingbeads 1 3,` the latterserving alsov to provide the plate with smooth rounded edges. The sideedges of the plate being smooth, round, and free from 90 'sharpprojections or indentations, wearupon the purse, pocket or clothing of"the customer is minimized, so that the plate lends itself to convenienthandling,'-thereby` pre'- venting any reluctance on the part ofcustomers to develop thehabit of carrying the plate and using it inmakingpurchases or trans-acting other business. 1 The marginalreinforcement prevents bending' of the relatively soft metal of theplate by muchhan- '100 lio dling and preserves it in the fiat conditiondesirable when the plate is used to print upon a record. In thisconnection the embossed surface of the plate also supplies a certainlongitudinal and transverse reinforcement against bending. The beads 12extend approximately into the plane ofthe top surface of the embossedcharacters 11, thereby minimizingfthe wear on the faces of thecharacters to which they are subjected in the normal carrying andhandling ofthe plate. rI he foregoing structural features adapt theplate to be continuously carried by a customer without damage or impairment of function as a printing plate.

' The device for operatively associating the printing token and salesrecord and for malring the impression is in this instanceV embodied in alight weight, compact, hand carried or hand held device which requiresno fiiredor other support for its use and particularly avoids the use ofvaluable counter or `other supporting space in department storesandgthelilie Such device comprises aV platen 14' havingan integralsupporting handle 15 projecting rearwardly thereof. The handle .andplaten sub-structure are in thisinstance made hollow to reduce weight.The platen is faced with a plate 16 of hard rubber or other slightlyresilient material appropriate for platen purposes. In area the platencorresponds in size to the type areaof the token. The depth or verticalheight of the platen is Vsuchthat it may be readily inserted under asales record or group of sales'records (if more than one copy be made)without the necessity for 'removing the recordsheet or sheets fromthesales book (see Fig. 1).

. The printing token is in this instance removably held in an impressionhead com-y prisinga holder'lTmovably carried'by the supporting handle 15by means of a supporting structure 18 opposite and spaced from 'theplaten and in this instance integral with thehandle 15. f The impressionhead is limited to vertical` movement Yrelative to the Y,platenrbyavguide rod 19 passing through the hollowl structure 18 and screwedintopthe back of holderl'? (see Figli).v The guide rod 19 and holder areprevented from rotation relative to the platenbyaguide pin V20fcarried'by the guide rod 19 and travelling in 'slots 21 in oppositesides ofthe housing 18. A relatively weak spring 22 surrounding theguidefrod and Vconfined between the head '23 thereof and a supportingplate 24 norma'lly maintains the impression Vhead at a substantialdistance ,above the platen (see Figs. 2, Vand 8).v v- I The lower faceof theholder is marginally grooved as at 25 to receive the edge beading13 of the lprinting token and is flat in its midr'die arearv26 toprovide a backing surface for the type area of the token. The token isplunger28 which assists in the convenient removal'ofa token from theholder. Plunger 281s carriedin a longltudlnal bore in the holder and aportion thereof projects from the rear ofthe holder. A screw 29 whoseend projects in a longitudinal recess or cut out portion 30 in theplunger limits the forward and backward travel of-V the plunger. Toremove a token itis simply necessary to press the' end of the plunger,whose engagement with the tolren causes it to project sufficientlybeyondthe forward end of the holder to permit it'to be visibly grasped by theoperaton I The holderis advantagouslylf'designed to assist in theinsertion of the printing plate therein in correct position, that'is,withfthe embossed characters out. The height of theprinting'characters'11 is such that if placed in contact'with thebacking surface 26 of the holder they would hold the beaded edge 13suciently far out of the'holder to liebeyon'dthe engagement of theretaining iianges 27, and the printing plate would, therefore7 not besupported thereby. In other words, the plate will only enter the holder'when its intaglio side (that is, the/side which exhibits the charactersin theirnormal arrangement) is in engagement with the surface 26 of theholder.V f Y y rEhe impression upon the sales recordis in this instancemade bya percussive movement of the impression head which'insures asharp andY clear cut impression `not only on the original record sheetbut on all copies thereof. The present embodiment is also designed sothat the pressure deliveredto the record1 i. e., the pressureof theprinting plate upon the record is only of instantaneous duration, lthuseliminating any opportunity for impairing the sharpness'offtheimpression as might occur if the' pressure were prolonged.

The aforesaid operation of the impression head is effected in thisinstance, by giving it a high velocity by means of compression springs31 located inside the supporting structure 18. These springs operatethrough the medium of plungers'32 having stop collars 33 adjacent theirlowerends against which the springs 'press and which serve to limit thedownward travel of the plunger by engagement with tl e 'bottom 34; ofthev` housing. The upper ends lof the plungers are yconnected to plate2li'. The springs l are n energized by an operating handle 35 havingspaced arms 36 passing on opposite sides of tie'housing 18 and pivotedthereto by the pin 37. The extremity of the handle 35'is placedanapprovpriate distance from the supporting handle 15 to permit the twohandles to be readily grasped by one hand not only for manipulation butor support ofthe device (see Fig. l) The handles 15and 35 are yieldinglyheld apart by a torsion spring 38 located between them and limited inits separating action by the pinv 39 Vpassing through the housing 18 and'engaging the arms 36. The handle is operatively connected with thesprings 31 by devices in the form of pawls 40 pivoted to the extremitiesof the arms 36 and engaging flat surfaces on the pin 20. Thus, downwarddepression of the handle relative to the handle 15 raises the plunger 19which', carrying with it the holder 17, compresses-the spring 31 whoseupper ends bear against the top of the housing 18. The pawls swing withthe handle 35 about its pivot pin 37 and are designed to clear the pin20 when the springs 31 have been sufficiently compressed, thus releasingthe springs which impart their energy to the impression head. Thistransfer of energy is accomplished by the time thestop collars 33engagethe bottom of the housing 18, at which point the printing plate and itsholder arestill a substantial distanceabovc the platen. Neverthelessthekinetic energy thus imparted to the impression head carries itdownwardly ata high velocity, compressing spring 22 (which is arelatively weak spring), todeliver a nercussive blow upon the salesrecord.

This sharp legible impression made by the percussive action at theimpression head results not only from the force with which the printingplate `is caused to strike the record 1 but because of the character ofthe force.

Because of the rapidity of the blow-the resistance of the various recordsheets and interleaved carbon sheets even tol slight movement withk theprinting plate (brought about by inertia and the air cushion between thesheets) is eiiective to holdthe portionsl of the sheets not actuallyembraced within the outlines of the type, out of any substantial contactlwith the inking or inked surfaces,- thereby limiting the inkedimpression exactly to the outline of the type and resulting in a sharpimpression. The rapidity of the imprinting operation also contributes tothe sharpness of outline of the printed characters because noopportunity is afforded for slight relative shifting of the elementsinvolved in the operation to produce the blurred outlinesl whichcharacterize an impression made by a' slow or prolonged pressure.Anothercharacteristic of the percussive blow by which the impression ismade, is that there is no possibilityo manual interference with theoperation of the elements in making the impression. Successive blows arenot'only uniform but the impression head isiree to react under theforces developed on impact which cause it instantly to raise theprinting platev from the record. This reactivel movement is renderedeffective by the circumstance that the plungers .32de not travel withthe* impression head to the point of impression, thus limiting `theforce of the impression simply to the kinetic energyoi` the impressionhead itself. Subsequent contact of the printing plate with the record ispre-vented .by the action of the light spring 22 which, on the Yreboundof the impression head, carries and holds it a substantialdistance above the recl ord. This upward movement is arrested byengagement of the holder with plungers 32. lnthis position the recordsmay readily be removed orinserted without danger ofcou- Atact with thehereinafter described inking means. Y

Uniformity and clarity of a given impression also depends onthe'adequate inertia flexible. ln adding weight to or beneath the` iplaten care must be taken not to concentrate such a proportion of weightat this point'as to imbalance the device and make vit inconvenientto-handle.

e The character and force of the percussion may be substantially variedby the` designof theimpression head, particularly its weight anddistance of travel.l Further variation may be eiiected by the degree ofinitial compression in the springs 31. By the latter means the velocityof the'impression head may be varied, the force of the blow dependingalso upon the mass of the moving parts.

The pawls 40, pivoted as they arel at 41 to the extremities of therespective arms 36, permit the automatic resetting of the device.Springs l2 carried by the arms 36 and connected-with rearwardlyvprojecting arms 43 on the pawls, allow the return of handle 35 iVwithout binding of the pawls against the pin 20. As or shortly beforethe handle 35 reaches the vpoint of engagement with the pin stop 39 theends of the pawls 40 will have clearedV the pins 2O and their springs 42will cause them to snap under thepins to reset the device. i f

In the present case the supporting handle, structure 18 andplatensupport are integral and pressed in complementary halves, fromsheet steel. The halves are secured'together by transversely extendingscrews, thus providing a hollow light weight device'but with adequatestrength and durability. A

Ink supply means is herein represented by an inking sheet eetV in theform of a carbon paper strip A(the upper surface of whichA is uninked`mounted in a device 45 carried on theimpression head. The deviceincludes a receptacle i6 of tubular or cylindrical shape within which iscarried in roll form a surslightly beyond the face of a printing token.

Thisspacing of the carbon strip facilitates the insertion and removal ofprinting plates.

The end of the carbon paper is passed between contacting feeding rolls48 and 49 whose surfaces are roughened or knurled to eect a feeding ofthe carbon strip. The upper roll is provided with knurled head 50 bymeans of which it may be turned. rhus the carbon paper may be advancedslightly as occasion requires to present a fresh inked surface and theprojecting extremity of the used strip may be torn ofi from time totime.

arried as it is wit-h the impression head' itself,the blow of theprinting plate in making the impression is not so much against thecarbon strip as against the record sheet. This contributes to a sharpimpression on the upper Yrecord sheet. The upper or uninked face of thecarbon strip prevents direct contact of the printing` token with the inksupply, thereby keeping the token free from ink and enabling its returnto the customer in a clean condition after use. A mark or guide .51 onthe impression head (to align with an appropriatelylocated mark 52 onthe sale record) may be provided to assist in properly locating` therecord on the platen.

Since the ink supply means is in this instance carried by the impressionhead, its mass must be taken into consideration in determining the totalmoving mass necessary to produce the proper momentum or percussion. If alighter ink supply device were employed, the loss of mass would becompensated for in the relatively heavier weight of the other parts ofthe impression head.

Vyhile adequate momentum of the impression head to produce a properimpression might be secure-d by increasing the energy stored in theactuating springs (instead of adjustingthe mass of the impression head),there are practical limitations to this where the device is to bemanipulated by girls or women, as is thepcase, for example, indepartment stores. increase in spring energy may be secured either byemploying stronger springs or by increasing the closing travel of thehandles l5 and 35 (i. e., their separation) but the gripping strengthand the hand span of the sales girl pla ce rather close limits on bothof these means for increasing momentum. The minimum rather than theaverage hand strength and hand size must be considered. i

For the same reasons it is important that the total weight of thedevlice be small; twenty-live ounces in the present embodiment. lightWeight, easily held and operated device is highly desirable to securecooperation of' the sales girl-to effect the economies hand) inherent ina consistent use of the device. Obviously the problem ofsecuring'lightness requires that the mass of the impression head benot'increased to v'secure momentum which can be secured by increasedtravel or strength of the actuating springs within the limits of easymanipulation by the sales girl.

In completing a transaction, such as a retail sale, in a system whereinthe customer carried token is employed, the clerk rst inserts the tokenin the holder, the light weight of the device readily permits this to bedone while holding the device in one hand and inserting the token'withthe other. Whereupon the sheets upon which the impression is to be madeare inserted over the platen (the balance of the record book` lying, forexample, below the platen support (see Fig. 1)). ,Y The operation beingcompleted the token may be immediately withdrawn and returned to thecustomer.

hile the installation of the above described system whether for retailmerchandising or for recording other transactions does not preclude themaking of purchases and recording of sales or other transactions (in thesamesales books) without `the use of the individual printing plate ortoken, the advantages both to the individual and to the organizationemploying the system resulting from the habitual use of the plate ortoken, are so great that the'individuals will inevitably fully cooperatewith the organization to effectthe general and systemmatic use of theplates or tokens. From the standpoint of a retail customer, for example,whose effective cooperation requires the carrying and use of such atoken whenever purchases are made, the speed of completing a .giventransaction atv once impresses the customer` Furthermore, the errors',delays and failuresindelivery are avoided, as well as erroneous debitson the customers charge account due to illegible or erroneous ydata onthe sales record (when entered in long- Since the token is alwaysreturned -to the customer in unsoiled condition, the latter' is notreluctant to carry and .use it regularly.

From the standpoint of the .organization such as a department store',the speed in completing a given sales transaction obviously is highlyadvantageous because a given sales person can complete ay greater numberof sales transactions; and the mental fatigue of securing and writingnames and addresses of customers, is wholly eliminated. The outstandingadvantage to the department store is, however, the avoidance of lossthrough illegible or erroneous data on the sales record. Loss from thissource is wholly avoided by the use of such tokens. The illustrativedevice requires no Ipermanent support and need occupy no valuablecounter space, but can readily be moved about as convenience requires.

A single token is capable of use in making purchases or transactingother business at a number of establishments. In such cases eachestablishment may emboss on the token an individual, private symbol(represented by which may serve to indicate the credit rating of theindividual. Another establishment when extending credit to an individualalready supplied elsewhere with a token, mayadd its individual creditsymbol 54. Such symbol on the token may serve, if the management of astore so desire, to indicate to the employee (who is familiar with thesignicance of the private symbols of the establishment) the fact thatcertain credit has been extended to the individual to whom the token hasbeen issued. Moreover, an establishment may advantageously place on thetoken a description (by means of appropriate symbols or code) of theindividual to Whom credit authorizationhas been extended. lOn the otherhand, a given establishment may not extend such significance to itscredit or descriptive symbols and may, on occasion, require proof of theindividuals identity, etc., in the usual manner or that the sale beapproved byan oiiicial, regardless of the possession by the individualof a token. e

For convenience and for purposes of illustration, the individualcarrying the token has been referred to as a customer; but it should beunderstood that the invention is not limited to uses in which theindividual occupies the status of a customer.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the VAdetails of theexempliflcation thereof herein illustrated and described, since suchdetails may be variously modified. Moreover, it is not indispensablethat all features of the inventions be used conjointly, since variousfeatures may be advantageously employed (without others) in differentpractices and combinations.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising in combination aplaten adapted to receive a plurality of'record sheets and interleavedcarbon sheets, a supporting handle projecting therefrom, an impressionhead movably supported opposite said platen and having means forremovably holding a printing plate, an operating handle associated withsaid supporting handle anA-d arranged relative thereto so that the twohandles may be grasped together in a single hand, resilient meansadapted to be energized by the operating handle for movingsaidimpression head, a trip automatically actuated upon further movementof said operating handle for releasing said resilient means to cause thelatter to impart a rapid movement to said impression-head independentlyof the operating handle to deliver a percussive blow to the recordsheetsnpon said platen .to im'- print said printing plate thereon, aspring for automatically raising the impressionhead above the platenimmediatelyafter-impression, and a carbon'paper feeding deviceassociated with vsaid impression head andoperative to presentfreshcarbonf paper forsaid impression head. v f

5 2; A device of the vcharacter described comprisingin combination, aplatenfadaptedto, receive a plurality of record sheets andinter- Ysociated with said impression head and carry- Y Y i ing a roll of carbonpaper, an operating handle associated with said supporting handle andarranged relative thereto so that the two handles may be graspedtogether in a single hand, resilient means adapted to be energized bythe operating handle for moving said impression head, and means forreleasing said resilient means to cause the latter to impart a rapidmovement to said impression head independently of the operating handleto deliver a percussive blow to the record sheets upon said platen toimprint said printing plate thereon.

3. A device of the character described comprising in combination aplaten adapted to receive a plurality of record sheets and inter- 5leaved carbon sheets, an impression head movably supported opposite saidplaten andhaving means for removably holding a printing plate, a carbonpaper supply device having feeding rolls for drawing a sheet of carbonpaper across the printing plate held in said -impression head, anoperating handle associated with said platen, actuating means controlledby said operating handle and including a compression spring arranged tobe compressed by said operating handle and subsequently released therebyto impart a rapid movement to said impression head and thereby to causethe impression of the printing plate tov be made by percussion upon therecord sheets on said platen, and means forV automatically raising saidimpression head above the sion., y

4. A device of the character described comprising in combination aplaten adapted to support a record sheet, va supporting handleprojecting therefrom, an impression head movably supported opposite saidplaten and platen immediately after impreshaving means for removablyholding a print- Y ing plate, a carbon paper supply 4device including aholder for a rollof carbon paper and a feeding roll yadapted to beturned to draw fresh carbon paper into alignment with said impressionhead, an operating handle associated with said supporting:` handlerandarranged relative thereto sol-that the two I handles may begraspedtogether in a single hand, and actuating means controlled by said5 operating' handle and ncludinga compression'spring for giving Vsaidimpression head a rapid movement toward said platen so as to strike therecord sheet upon the latter lwith a percussive blowl so' as'to imprintthe k1,0 printing plate thereon.

In testimony whereof, I` have signed my Yname to this specification.

JOHN E. JOHNSON.

